What happened to HOI3? (Is HoI3 really that bad?)

[TRP]

You can really see the two sides in these threads:

The realists who believe its a flawed product and game and will need alot more
attention by PI if its ever going to be a playable but realistic game on WW2

and

The faithful who believe the next patch (and there always appears to be a
next patch) will make the game perfect and can't understand what the problem
the rest of us have with HOI3.

...And it is a sad fact that this, like 99% of all issues HOI3 suffers from, can be fixed by a single check/uncheck box so ridiculously easy to come up with it is allmost insulting it has not been in any PDOX game ever

"Historical path? Yes/No"

Yes sets all historical event choices to 100% AI Chance, No does the opposite.

 

[PrussianPrince]

I can't really decide between the brilliant but severely bugged HoI3 and the perfect but quite simple HoI2DDA with World in Flames mod.

For the moment I'm favouring the second choice, but as time passes and the bugs in HoI3 are fixed, and expansion packs are introduced, we'll have a real game on our hands. But this will take long, at least a year...

Some of the most irritating bugs have such simple solutions, and PI still doesn't fix them. Yes, they fix a lot of problems with each patch, but some (a lot) slip through.

I'm only playing HoI3 due to the ability to organise the composition of divisions. Deciding what brigades to include in a division is fun.

Also, I prefer this tech system to the one HoI2 has. In HoI2 your research would never become better: you'd never gain more tech slots or new research teams. However, in HoI3 you can research more and more as you conquer other countries, acquiring more leadership which you can invest into research.

The sheer amount of provinces is overwhelming, but fun to me. There is more to encircle, more to defend... Overall, more action.

Paradox should've extended the development time and the testing of it by at least 6 months. I can't believe how they've released a product in such a state, and also, how they have failed to bring this product in a good shape, after all these months have passed.

I'm hoping Paradox learns from this mistake though, and I have faith in them.

 

[Red Jacket]

I can't really decide between the brilliant but severely bugged HoI3 and the perfect but quite simple HoI2DDA with World in Flames mod...

Have you tried any of the HOI3 mods yet?

 

[plasticpanzers]

Playing the DiDay mod is the only way to have any fun with it so far. Right now
I can see Japan more often than not being succesful in China and Russia beating
up the Germans and actually driving into Poland. Core issues are what kills the
vanilla patched game and these affect what the modders can do. I think PI owes
alot to the modders who have taken a terribly broken game and at least made the
investment in buying it fun (tho still with severe limitations). Pity they don't take
more into their programming from what is seen in the mods.

 

[PrussianPrince]

Yes I've tried many of them. I always play with AIIP, and Major Nations Immersion Pack, and it's still bugged. So yes, still a long way to go...

I'll give DiDays a try when I finish my campaigns without it, I've heard good things about it.

 

[Tormodius]

Yes I've tried many of them. I always play with AIIP, and Major Nations Immersion Pack, and it's still bugged. So yes, still a long way to go...

I'll give DiDays a try when I finish my campaigns without it, I've heard good things about it.

Me too played with AIIP and i read now that they included it in DiDay so its compatible then i suppose

edit:
Oh well not compatible i see now that mod doesn't use mod directory so it overwrites the game instead.
That means you can not use another mod unless you reinstall the entire game.

 

[Alfred Packer]

Yeah, if a historical game is your heart's desire and your chief issue with HOI3, then please try DiDay mod...it lock steps the game into history until December 8, 1941. Makes all the difference.

 

[Red Jacket]

Oh well not compatible i see now that mod doesn't use mod directory so it overwrites the game instead.
That means you can not use another mod unless you reinstall the entire game.

Best way to keep your vanilla install, and also use a mod is either to copy the vanilla install to another place and mod that new directory(leaving your vanilla install untouched); or use JSGME generic mod enabler.

 

[KevinG]

You like the map of HOI3?

With major important battlegrounds nowhere near their real location and a province for every village of 50 people...

Why do you think the AI is so bad? (Hint: Because there are 9 million provinces)

The provinces aren't supposed to represented densely populated urban centers they are to give players more room to maneuver. It was mainly added so MULTIPLAYER could be better not for single player. You ever wonder why if there's a human France and human UK in HOI2 that a human Germany can't win by going through the historical route? It's because the entire belgium-france border is 4 provinces and France can build 250 divisions by 1939 and then fill those provinces with superstacks that are impossible to break, so usually German player has to go through Spain/Italy or even the maginot line in some games.

 

[PrussianPrince]

JSGME does not work with DiDays because you have to delete some vanilla files for it to work properly, not just adding and replacing.

 

[Tormodius]

Best way to keep your vanilla install, and also use a mod is either to copy the vanilla install to another place and mod that new directory(leaving your vanilla install untouched); or use JSGME generic mod enabler.

Oh well, thank you for the tip. I guess this is one of the things not working correctly with the game?
I mean, when you start HOI there is that selection box designed to let you choose a mod from mods directory, and i used it with AIIP, but maybe some mods cant use it, or is this not in working order either?

 

[Red Jacket]

JSGME does not work with DiDays because you have to delete some vanilla files for it to work properly, not just adding and replacing.

JSGME seems to work for me with DiDay's mod; the checksums are always reset when I switch back to vanilla. But, maybe I have missed something - I was not aware that vanilla files have to be deleted. Are you sure about that? I didn't see anything about that in the mod install directions.

Oh well, thank you for the tip. I guess this is one of the things not working correctly with the game?
I mean, when you start HOI there is that selection box designed to let you choose a mod from mods directory, and i used it with AIIP, but maybe some mods cant use it, or is this not in working order either?

The maker of DiDay's mod has chosen not to use the built in HOI3 Mod directory. I think their are some issues with it working correctly, yes, but I don't know what they are. For any mod, you should refer to the instruction details for setting it up.

Best way to keep your vanilla install, and also use a mod is either to copy the vanilla install to another place and mod that new directory(leaving your vanilla install untouched); or use JSGME generic mod enabler.

I still hold this opinion; including that of the ability of JSGME to manage mods - I haven't experienced a problem yet with it. It seems to work even for DiDay's (at least for me).

 

[AJL]

Your points are well taken and eminently sensible so I am glad we can come to an understanding.

Since views that are highly critical about the state of HoI3 are often meet with responses that lack your civility and, as you say, the damage is done and unlikely to be reversed little point remains in talking about. HoI3 is off my hard drive and at this point AoD will be taking what free time I have.

Now tell me how you really feel

I totally agree that you should not have to help. Nor do I think you should 'go away' and 'not express' your views. You have just as much right to express your points as I do. So that we can agree on.

What I was trying to say (which I obviouly failed at making clear) is that the damage is done. Your $50 is gone and the game is much worse that you expected. You have rightly expressed your opnion about it. Howerver, there are two choices to make, keep commenting about how upset you are (justly in your view) or try and help (which you do not have to do nor was I telling you you had to).

Other than venting to the community at large, I do not see any reason to continue to do so. You have expressed your complaints about the game, many will not be addressed in 1.4 (I could be wrong, but my expectations are very low as they were when I bought the game. Which is why I have enjoyed it while others have not. For 1.4, if subs and the superstack issues are fixed, I will be very pleased. Anything beyond that will just be icing on the cake as far as I am concerned).

One last point. I do want to hear what you have to say. And while you personally may not have overly complained, it all starts to run togeather after awhile. So if I have offended you in any way, please accept my appoligies as that was not my intent. I was just tired of hearing the same theme over and over again.

 

[AJL]

I can't really decide between the brilliant but severely bugged HoI3 and the perfect but quite simple HoI2DDA with World in Flames mod.

For the moment I'm favouring the second choice, but as time passes and the bugs in HoI3 are fixed, and expansion packs are introduced, we'll have a real game on our hands. But this will take long, at least a year...

Some of the most irritating bugs have such simple solutions, and PI still doesn't fix them. Yes, they fix a lot of problems with each patch, but some (a lot) slip through.

I'm only playing HoI3 due to the ability to organise the composition of divisions. Deciding what brigades to include in a division is fun.

Also, I prefer this tech system to the one HoI2 has. In HoI2 your research would never become better: you'd never gain more tech slots or new research teams. However, in HoI3 you can research more and more as you conquer other countries, acquiring more leadership which you can invest into research.

The sheer amount of provinces is overwhelming, but fun to me. There is more to encircle, more to defend... Overall, more action.

Paradox should've extended the development time and the testing of it by at least 6 months. I can't believe how they've released a product in such a state, and also, how they have failed to bring this product in a good shape, after all these months have passed.

I'm hoping Paradox learns from this mistake though, and I have faith in them.

I like the ability to organize divisions in HoI3 but the technology system being implemented in AoD looks like it will correct all of the problems that HoI2 had. Given that the number of provinces can be vastlyexpanded in AoD we may end up seeing a version of HoI2 that lacks almost all of it's failings and has some of the upsides of HoI3 leaving us with the best PI product ever.

 

[AJL]

The provinces aren't supposed to represented densely populated urban centers they are to give players more room to maneuver. It was mainly added so MULTIPLAYER could be better not for single player. You ever wonder why if there's a human France and human UK in HOI2 that a human Germany can't win by going through the historical route? It's because the entire belgium-france border is 4 provinces and France can build 250 divisions by 1939 and then fill those provinces with superstacks that are impossible to break, so usually German player has to go through Spain/Italy or even the maginot line in some games.

Your complaints about HoI2 are correct. The good news is that apparently the super stacking issue will not be present AoD and when that is combined with a new logistics system and the ability to add huge numbers of provinces I think that we have a really great game on our hands soon.

 

[Gurag]

Numdydar, your point is definitively/syntactically correct, but I think most people do not care to distinguish between "bug" and "flaw" with this fine of precision. Your point, if true, is a bit pedantic. Bug, flaw, ... either one is something that the fan base wants fixed. If you substitute "flaw" where people mistakenly said "bug", we end up at the same point anyway.

Unless there is a reason why the distinction between "bug" and "flaw" is relevant? (If so, it escaped me)

One of the reasons could be that often a bug can be expected to be fixed by a patch while a flaw screams expansion. So from a money standpoint as a consumer this distinction is pretty important.

And also to answer why people keep complaining about something that is allready know is that they want it fixed. Stop complaining and Paradox will tell you that everything is fine and nothing needs to be done. They are small and will try to keep their resources where they can generate new profits instead of only fixing old mistakes.

 

[Oerdin]

Playing the DiDay mod is the only way to have any fun with it so far. Right now
I can see Japan more often than not being succesful in China and Russia beating
up the Germans and actually driving into Poland. Core issues are what kills the
vanilla patched game and these affect what the modders can do. I think PI owes
alot to the modders who have taken a terribly broken game and at least made the
investment in buying it fun (tho still with severe limitations). Pity they don't take
more into their programming from what is seen in the mods.

You should watch out. Simply mentioning those obvious facts is enough to get you banned on these forums. I started a thread showing how the government in exile feature was broken and crashed the game virtually every time, some fanboi told me I was lying, and then a mod banned me for a week for "lying and trolling". Such behavior is a complete joke which doesn't help them fix this horribly broken game nor does it help future sales to attack posters who have purchased numerous Paradox products in the past.

 

[unmerged(29298)]

i think hoi3 is far from being usable, but paradox did the best game ever related to ww2, hoi2.

i am unsure is hoi3 even fixed will be superior, the graphical engine of hoi2 was much better and faster, i hate slow games, that you click an need some miliseconds for the response.

the map is hard to read and even the diplomatic map does not distinguish from nation to nation with colores.

the mircomanage of HQ with the slow interface is unusable, and yes it hangs all the time in normal PCs.

I think that in about 1 year it will be a great game, and by that time the new PCs will be fast enough.

 

[unmerged(142769)]

NO, it's good.

THe game is definitely playable using the latest patch. I bought the ported mac version and it works great.

I have a fairly modern system but not state-of-of-the-art. Game runs well but the new engine isn't quite as snappy as old HOI2 Armageddon. I run HOI3 on max speed and pause a lot -- same as i did with HOI2

What is frustrating is adapting to the mechanical changes as i was so used to HOI2's interface and quirks.

The display of the map and implementation is better than EUIIIm which uses the same engine.

The key changes are revamping technology and the vastness of the map in terms of provinces. Both are big improvements.

There are still some annoying problems that need to be worked out -- in my first game, Australia joined the axis. That's just hard to swallow. I've heard much crazier things from other players...



Make sure your computer meets the technical specs and then BUY!

 

[Tormodius]

I've been reading some user comments and there's very many negative comments. Many are basically saying the game is "unplayable".

So what kind of problems are there?

In HOI2 (vanilla) I was mostly disappointed by the AI's inability to do amphibious landings. I never saw any D-day style landings in Europe and I never saw USA take any pacific islands from Japan. Is this problem still prevalent in HOI3?

No but there are still lotsa problems in HOI3 compared to the other games.
The USA seems to invade better but it do normally fail to achieve victory. Its not a problem with the game but the Germans are too powerful or the German AI is very good vs. other AIs. So AI is better in general.

They try doing maneuvers to overrun you, outflank, and encircle you, and it more tricky than in earlier games. However i did see some very illogical stacking of units, but this was not the AI code itself, but a smaller issue with province adjacencies in a file, that was very easy to fix for anyone.

The game is playable at least but laggy towards end game. So that you might be able to play but have to restart it all the time.

There are still issues, and I hope they fix them all.
Also some mods do fix some of the issues that players find.
I would play HOI3 with a mod preferably, and its fun games. Allthough vanilla version might be "playable" its lacking in many departments. Like you being Japan and invading the oil islands from dutch, they you lose it all because they become a puppet of germany. No possible way to declare war to retake it. Very silly thing there that happens in vanilla game. So download a mod, for example diday, which i think is mighty kool.